By A.V. Musick

A cup of hot chocolate, a freshly cut tree, a roaring fire– the only thing missing is a cheesy Christmas movie. Everyone knows the Christmas season doesn’t officially start until you watch at least one classic Christmas movie. 

Hallmark’s “Countdown to Christmas” 2025 schedule. Image credit: Hallmark Channel website.

According to Town & Country Magazine, A Christmas Story, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, It’s a Wonderful Life, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Elf, and Home Alone are among the top “20 Classic Christmas Movies of All Time.” While each family may have their own classic choice from this list, others might take a more unconventional route, diving into Hallmark Channel Movies.

Each year, beginning in mid-October, Hallmark Channel begins its “Countdown to Christmas” event, releasing nearly 25 new movies and several new television series in 2025 alone. You may be wondering how Hallmark can release so many new Christmas films each year. Well, it’s because every new movie follows the same skeleton of a plot-line. 

A big-city woman returns to her quaint hometown for the holidays, only to keep crossing paths with a rugged, small-town jack-of-all-trades man she can’t seem to avoid. As she scrambles to pull together a last-minute charity gala or fundraiser, he steps into help, slowly winning her over. Inevitably, a misunderstanding pulls the two apart; briefly, of course. By Christmas Eve, everything falls perfectly into place, and the two share a magical kiss under the stars and snowfall, no matter where the movie is set.

To just about any viewer, the ending of each movie can be predicted within the first five minutes of watching. However, despite predictability, Hallmark consistently draws in viewers throughout the Christmas season. According to Forbes, during the second “Countdown to Christmas” week this year in late October, Hallmark Channel was the fourth most-watched cable channel, beating CNN, HGTV, and Food Network. During prime time hours, the network averaged 536,000 viewers between 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. 

Large production companies and streaming services are catching onto Hallmark’s well-proven success and replicating their model. Earlier this month, I watched a new, non-Hallmark, Christmas movie titled The Christmas Ring, which is now streaming on demand through Apple TV and Fandango at Home. The Christmas Ring was released in select theaters for a short period of time beginning November 6 and just recently became available to rent from the comfort of your own home. 

The Christmas Ring is based on Karen Kingsbury’s October 2025 novel. Kingsbury is an American novelist from Fairfax, Virginia who began her career as a sports writer for the Los Angeles Times. She later wrote for the Los Angeles Daily News, where she investigated a grueling murder that inspired her first novel, Missy’s Murder.  

Ben and Vanessa first meeting in Ben’s family antique shop. Photo credit: Karen Kingsbury Productions.

The Christmas Ring had every reason to be the movie of the season, including stars Jana Kramer, Ben Hollingsworth, and Kelsey Grammar. The movie, set in a small Georgia town comprising mostly military families, follows widow Vanessa Mayfield (played by Kramer, who is best known for her role as Alex Dupre in One Tree Hill) and her journey to find a lost family heirloom, a Christmas ring. On her immense search in local antique shops across the state, she meets owners Ben Miller (Hollingsworth, known for his role in Code Black and as Brady in Virgin River) and his father, Howard Miller (Grammar, best known for his lead role in the sitcom Frasier). 

It may come as no surprise, but following the typical Hallmark structure, Vanessa and Ben begin to fall in love. Because they live in separate towns, the two start off as friends, growing closer as Ben visits Vanessa for several days in search of new antiques to add to his inventory. He is aware of the ring Vanessa once lost on a ski trip in Colorado; however, he is unfamiliar with the ring’s appearance. Both Ben and Vanessa are determined to find the ring by December 25 to fulfill a Christmas miracle. 

Ben and Vanessa at her charity ball. Photo credit: Karen Kingsbury Productions.

In usual Hallmark fashion, Ben and Vanessa undergo a misunderstanding that leaves Vanessa heartbroken, wondering why Ben would just up and leave her in the middle of a date. What Vanessa later finds out is that Ben got a phone call during their date saying the ring was at his shop and was to be sold later that day for $25,000. In an attempt to preserve his relationship with Vanessa, he left to stop the sale of the ring in order to make his Hallmark grand gesture to Vanessa. 

After no phone call or explanation for days, Ben suddenly appears at Vanessa’s holiday ball, a benefit for widowed military families, and dramatically explains his side of the story. He professes his love under the stars and snow (of course), ending the movie with the familiar Hallmark kiss.

As far as off-brand Hallmark movies go, The Christmas Ring certainly lived up to the Hallmark standard, earning a Hallmark rating of 9/10. Points were docked for being produced by Fathom Entertainment rather than the real Hallmark Channel, as well as having an atypical conflict, rather than a more predictable one. Critics at Common Sense Media wrote, the movie “plays right into the ‘it’s the most wonderful time of the year’” narrative, “combining cozy holiday vibes with predictable, sometimes cheesy elements.”

Kate Hogan (‘26) commented, “For lack of a better word, the movie was a little cheesy, but overall I was entertained and didn’t get bored. I thought the main actors were talented, but all the side characters felt new to acting. The story was sweet, though.” For non-Hallmark lovers, the movie earns a 6/10 due to a lack of originality, occasionally poor acting, and clichés.

Overall, if you are looking for a less traditional, more entertaining movie, The Christmas Ring is not it. Those unfamiliar with the Hallmark style most likely will not be impressed. However, for any avid Christmas lovers, this movie is sure to brighten your season.

Featured image credit: Karen Kingsbury Productions.